Blake Lively made a surprise appearance at the 2026 Met Gala just moments after settling her lawsuit with It Ends With Us director Justin Baldoni. After a now-viral post, her arrival has everyone asking the same question: Was she invited? Lively had been in an ongoing legal battle with Baldoni following the highly publicised press run for the 2024 movie, which is based on Colleen Hoover’s book of the same name. In December that year, the actress filed a sexual harassment complaint against Baldoni, who denied the claims and counter-sued. In recent weeks, a judge dismissed many of Lively’s claims, but remaining charges – breach of contract, retaliation, and aiding and abetting in retaliation – were due to be heard in court later this month. However, on Monday 4th May, it was announced that both parties had reached a settlement. Just hours later, Lively appeared on the Met Gala red carpet wearing an archival pastel Versace gown – her first time attending in four years. Credit: Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock But her appearance hasn’t gone without scrutiny, with a fan account accusing the actress of breaking a rule: attending without an invitation. The Instagram page @metgalaofficial_ shared photos of the star at the event, alongside the caption, “Blake Lively attends the Met Gala without being invited.” It’s worth noting that the bio of the account reads, “This is a fan page dedicated to the Met and not affiliated with them in any way.” Wait, was Blake Lively invited to the Met Gala? In reality, that’s highly unlikely, as the Met Gala operates on an invite-only basis, with every guest personally approved by Vogue editor Anna Wintour or attending as part of a brand’s table. As highlighted by the New York Times, tickets for the 2026 edition cost a whopping $100,000 per person – $25,000 more than last year – while tables start at $350,000. The Met Gala official fan page on instagram just threw up these images of Blake and captioned it as follows: “Blake Lively attends the Met Gala without being invited.” 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/JxTPM6bDw8 — Joyfullyobserved (@jfully19) May 5, 2026 But unlike other high-profile fundraisers, the Met Gala isn’t just a case of buying your way in. Invitations are based on what the outlet described as Wintour’s “holy trinity”: buzz, achievement and influence. Even if you’re a brand that buys a table, you can’t just freely decide who takes a seat, as any proposed guests have to be approved beforehand – and that list is very exclusive. In fact, a spokeswoman for the Costume Institute told the NYT that the guest list is kept to around 400 attendees each year, making it one of the most exclusive events in the world. Celebrities also don’t typically pay for their own tickets, instead attending as guests of major fashion houses, which cover the cost of their seat, outfit, travel and accommodation in exchange for red carpet visibility. With such strict controls in place, it would be extremely difficult for anyone – even someone of Lively’s fame – to attend without getting the greenlight. Even so, the Met Gala fan page more recently posted, “According to rumors, Blake Lively wasn’t invited to the Met Gala 2026, so she allegedly paid over $100,000 to get an invitation – and wanted to keep it secret.” While the posts have sparked speculation, there’s no solid evidence to suggest Lively broke any rules. Featured image credit: Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock Post navigation Next storyPrevious story
